Update: Missing North Adams man found dead in NYC; homicide suspected

NORTH ADAMS - A North Adams man who was reported missing last week has been found dead in New York City, according to police, who are investigating the case as a homicide.

Joshua Bressette, 25, of Chesbro Avenue, was found May 8 on a Magenta Street rooftop in the Bronx, according to a spokeswoman for the New York Police Department.

He had gunshot wounds to the head and back, and was pronounced dead on arrival by medical personnel.

Bressette was last seen in the Price Chopper parking lot on State Road between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on May 5, according to the missing persons notice issued last week by North Adams Police. The notice said Bressette may be in danger.

News reports from New York media outlets indicate that the NYPD had attempted to identify Bressette by his tattoos. The New York Daily News reported that officials said he had heroin on him at the time, but no identification.

Members of the Berkshire County Law Enforcement Task Force were contacted Wednesday by New York Police Department Homicide Detectives, according to a statement released by Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless.

The New York City investigators said they found the body of an unidentified male matching Bressette's description in the Bronx. The man was positively identified Thursday as Bressette.

Capeless said law enforcement authorities are treating Bressette's death as a homicide and members of the Berkshire County Law Enforcement Task Force are assisting New York Police Department Detectives with the investigation. No arrests have been made, according to the NYPD spokesperson.

Bressette was among five North Adams residents arrested in February as part of what police called a "major" drug bust, which netted more than 250 bags of heroin.

Authorities declined to comment on any possible connection between the arrest and Bressette's death.

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